The invention relates generally to a microwave powered sterilizer and more particularly to a microwave powered sterilizer employing superheated steam.
Aseptic removal of samples and products and the addition of materials to sterile systems is frequently compromised by the lack of a reliable means of sterilizing the mating fixtures. Great care is required to prevent the contamination of microbially vulnerable systems such as samples for microbiological analysis, tissue cultures, fermentors, and mammalian cell bioreactors by microorganisms of external origin. Of equal importance is the prevention of contamination of individuals or the environment by virulent pathogens or by genetically engineered organisms of unknown pathogenicity which may be confined within an enclosure. The primary opportunities for entry or escape of microbes occur during the act of sampling, during the harvesting of products, or during the introduction of new materials, such as nutrients or inoculum, into a system. At these times, the system is exposed to the external environment. Routine aseptic practices are not always effective. Contamination of microbial specimen s as an artifact of the sample collection procedure is a common occurrence. Cultures of mammalian cells are particularly vulnerable to microbial contamination due to the complexity of nutrient media and the lengthy periods required for cell growth. Contamination of these systems is particularly costly. Development of the microwave sterilizable access port according to the present invention has resulted in a reliable means to gain access to microbially vulnerable systems in which the possibility of contamination has been eliminated.